Combined printing and folding machine



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7 3 Sheets--Sheet 1. O. CHAMBERS, Jr. COMBINED PRINTING AND FOLDINGMACHINE.

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C. CHAMBERS, Jr. COMBINED PRINTING AND FOLDING MACHINE.

,NO. 477,886. Patented June 28, 1892.

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N0.47 7,886. Patented June 28, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

CYRUS CHAMBERSgTR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED PRINTING AND FOLDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 477,886, dated June 28,1892. Application filed June 12,1885. Serial N0.168,439. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GYRUs CHAMBERS, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aCombined Printing and Folding Machine, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, of which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a side elevation of thefolding, pasting, and covering machine and the rear part or delivery endof an ordinary stop-cylinder printing-press. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is aplan-view of the folding-machine, showing the arrangement of thefolding-rollers and blades, paste-pots for pasting a sheet of sixteenpages, and the cover-attaching devices. The cam or main shaft, with itsgearing, is for greater clearness omitted, also the tapes to thethirdfolding-rollers and the plungers for the packing-trough. Fig. 8, Sheet2, is a sectional end elevation, as on line a 1), Figs. 1 and 2, showingthe main cam-shaft F with its gearing and the packing device, butomitting that portion of the cover paste-pot d,

.Fig; 2, cut through by said section-line,to-

gether with its shaft. Fig. 4, Sheet 3, is a sectional side elevation ofthe feed-table, printing or impression cylinder, and thedelivery-cylinder of the printing-press, the delivery-tapes and thefirst and second pairs of folding-rollers of the folding-machine, showing also the positions of the sheets when the printing-cylinder is atrest.

This invention relates to the combination, with a printing-press, of afolding (or a fold ing, pasting, and covering) machine in such a mannerthat the folder will fold the printed sheets in register with the matterprinted on the sheets by the press.

The improvement is adapted to be applied in connection with that classof printingpresses in which the sheet comes to rest at intervals in itscourse through the machine such as, for example, what are known as the Fstop cylinder, the Kidder printingpresses, and similar machines.

A leading feature of the invention has relation to the location of thefolding devices relative to the printing devices, so that when theperfected sheet coming from the press after the completion of bothimpressions and before the sheet has been let go of or allowed to shiftor move in any uncertain distance or direction is brought to rest insuch position relative to the folding-machine as to receive the actionof the folder and be folded in certain lines or positions relative tothe printed matter thereon irrespective of the edge of the sheet.

The invention also relates to the combination, with said combinedprinting-press and folding-machine, of means for accurately adjustingthe several pairs of folding-rolls and their adjuncts in order tocompensate for any misadjustment of the form on the printing-press orvariation in the delivery of the sheet from the latter.

The invention also relates to certain details and combinations ofmechanism, which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out incertain of the claims.

I shall now proceed to describe a means and mechanism whereby myinvention is carried out, omitting particular reference to parts anddevices that are well known in connection with printing-presses andfolding-machines of the class mentioned, yet describing sufficient toenable one skilled in the art to which my invention pertains tounderstand and to put the same into practical operation.

Referring to the annexed drawings, P and F are the general frame-work ofthe printing and folding machines, respectively.

pp is the usual inclined feed-table of the press, P theimpression-cylinder, P the delivery-cylinder, and 10 the grippers. Y Fis the first pair of folding-rolls of the folding-machine, F the secondpair, and F the third pair. v

F is the first and F the second foldingblade.

T are the tapes which convey the printed sheets from the press inposition to be folded by the first pair of rolls, the usual overlyingrods for aiding in retaining the sheet in place being omitted.

f are the rolls for carrying and propelling v the tapes f which conveythe supplement sheet when necessary, as shown and set forth in a certainapplication for Letters Patent filed April 24., 1885, by WilliamMendham, Serial No. 163,259.

IOO

P is the main or driving shaft of the printing-machine, and F is themain or cam shaft of the folding-machine. The latter machine is coupledup to the printing-press, as seenin Fig. 1, so as to run in concerttherewith, and its main shaft F makes one revolution to that of thecylinder P of the press, or one revolution to every sheet printed.

It will be observed that the feed-table pp of the printing-press extendsover a part of the folding-machine and that the folding-rollers areabove the bed-line w y of the press. This construction or arrangement isemployed as a matter of economy to save the space, which is often agreat desideratum in printing establishments.

If the folding-rollers were on or about a horizontal line with or belowthe bed-line of the press, the folding-machine would have to be removedto such a distance from the press delivery-cylinder (so as to be out ofthe way of the reciprocating bed) that the printed sheet would not beproperly delivered to the first folding knife and rollers. This willappear by referring to Fig. 4, Sheet 3, which represents the relativeposition of the sheets while the printing-cylinders are at rest. Thetapes T during the rotation of the cylinders have carried the sheet Sand maintained it in the same position relative to the printing thereona certain distance and to a certain precise point, which is that atwhich the first folding devices operate. Now if the folding-machine wereremoved, say,but the fraction of an inch to the right or to the left itwould practically destroy the usefulness of the folder in thatconnection. If, however, it be removed to a distance from theprinting-press equal to twice the distance relatively of that shown inFig. 4, then the printed sheet would be brought to the proper positionwith relation to the folding-machine at the second stage of itsmovement-that is, at the second stop of the presscylinders after thesheet has left the latter; but to locate the folder at such adistancefrom the printing-press would result in the loss of a considerablespace, which usually cannot be well spared in printing establishments.

I will now proceed to describe the operation of the invention, specialreference being had to Figs. 1 and 4. S, Fig. 4, is a sheet on thefeed-board pp, printed on one side only, as indicated by the heavy lineunderneath opposite or corresponding with each printed page. S is thepreceding sheet, which has just been printed on the second side and heldbetween the impression and delivery cylinders P and P by the smallbinder-roller p The printed pages on this sheet are indicated by heavylines on both sides. S is a third sheet seen delivered by the tapes Tfrom the printing-press in position to be acted upon by thefolding-machinethat is to say, in register. The first pair offolder-rollers F and the second pair F are seen in said Fig. 4, thefolding-blades and other mechanism being omitted. The positionsrepresented by these three printed sheets S, S and S are thosesuccessively assumed by each and every sheet in its passage through theprinting-press at the instant of rest of the impression-cylinder.

It will be obvious that if the folding device were located at some otherpoint than that required to act upon the printed sheet at the time ofits rest in its passage through and from the machine accurate registerwould not be secured, and hence the importance of its precise positionrelative to the sheet while in position.

To perfect my invention and more fully carry its purposes and tofacilitate the obtaining of accurate register, I construct the first andsecond pair of folding-rollers, together with their respective blades,shafts, and boxes carrying the same, so as to be adj ustable withrelation to the center lines of the printed pages, so that if there be aslight misadjustment of the form in the press or any variation in thedelivery of the sheet these folding devices can be nicely adjusted tosuit the occasion and absolutely perfect register obtained. A means foraccomplishing such adjustments are as follows, special reference beinghad to'Figs. 2 and 3, Sheet 2. f are sliding pieces, to a projection fof which is pivoted the shaft f of the folding-blade arm f and whichcarry at their opposite ends the boxes or bearings f of the shafts ofthe folding-rollers F. Said sliding pieces rest upon cross-beams f ofthe frame of the foldin g-machine, and are held adj ustably in place bymeans of bolts f ,.passing through longitudinal slots f, said boltsbeing screwed or tapped into the beams f By loosening said bolts therollers F and their folding-blade, shafts, and boxes as a whole may beadjusted to the desired position. To facilitate such adjustments, I makeuse of screws f, working in lugs f in the side of the sliding bars fSaid screws are rotated in either direction bymeans of a worm-wheel f 21on acrankshaft f said worm engaging with a gearwheel f on the outer endof the screw f Such adjusting devices, per se, are not new. The sameconstruction for a similar purpose is used in connection with the secondpair of rollers when it is necessary to secure accurate register in atransverse direction.

Having thus described my invention so that those familiar with the artto which the same pertains are enabled to construct and practice thesame, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Thecombination of the stop-cylinder printing-press and the folding-machinearranged and driven with relation to each other, as shown and specified,together with the tapes arranged and adapted to operate to convey theprinted sheets from the press to the folding-machine, so as to be inregister with the first folding devices at the instant the sheet isbrought to rest by the stopping of the cylinder of the printing-press,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a folding -machine and printing-press of theclass recited, with means, such as the tapes, for conveying the printedsheets from the printing-machine to the folding-machine, oflaterally-adjustable first folding-rollers and folding-blade wherebycompensation may be made for inaccurate lateral adjustments of the formon the printing-press, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a folding-machine and a printing-press of theclass recited,havin g its second set of folding-rolls and foldingbladeadjustable -to and from the printingpress to compensate for inaccurateplacement of the form lengthwise of the press or the distance the sheetsmay be carried by the press, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

4. In a combined folding-machine and printing-press of the recitedclass, the combination therewith'of the first and second adjustablefolding rollers and blades for the purpose of obtaining accurateregister in printed sheets delivered directly from the printing-press,substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of the stop-cylinder printing-press andfolding-machine in relation to each other, as shown and described, themechanism for operating said press and machine concertedly,and 'the'tapes for convey-' ing the printed sheets from the press to thefolding-machine, all constructed and adapted to operate substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 10th dayof June, A.- D. 1885.

CYRUS CHAMBERS, JR.

